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Monday, November 21, 2016

Microsoft Xbox, PlayStation, Other Popular Twitter Accounts Hacked

Some high-profile Twitter accounts like Microsoft Xbox, PlayStation, The New Yorker etc, are hacked just to send spam links.

Buying twitter followers have always been seen as one of those doubtful practices that are steadily spreading over the internet. Have you seen when one of your friends starts posting links to “Get free Followers for free” and you just know they’ve clicked on an obviously dodgy link?Well, something similar type of incident happened to some of the world’s most famous companies which include PlayStation, Xbox, Viacom and The Economist when they started tweeting ads to websites whose purpose is to increase the followers counts on Twitter.

According to Engadget, popular accounts like @PlayStation, @Viacom, @XboxSupport, @NTSB, @TheNewYorker, @TheNextWeb, had “started aggressively pushing ways to help you obtain more followers for free”Microsoft Xbox, PlayStation, Other Popular Twitter Accounts HackedThe tweets began rolling out spammy links at Saturday afternoon, promoting various websites inviting users to get free followers by just clicking the link. After further inspection, it appears all the tweets had been sending out via Twitter Counter.

According to the site Twitter Counter it “provides statistics of Twitter usage and tracks over 14 million users … and sells featured spots on its website to people who want to gain more followers”Hackers obtained access to linked Twitter accounts and managed to post messages on their behalf. Twitter Counter had confirmed that their service experienced a breach and they reacted immediately to block the attack.

Most of the tweets are removed. However, Engadget managed to take a screenshot of the link posted via the @playstation account. Twitter Counter said in the tweet “We can confirm that our service has been hacked; allowing posts on behalf of our users! We have launched an investigation into this matter”. “As of now, the hackers CANNOT post on our users’ behalf anymore. We will keep you posted on any other updates!”We can confirm that our service has been hacked; allowing posts on behalf of our users! We have launched an investigation into this matter.

— TheCounter (@thecounter) November 19, 2016As of now, the hackers CANNOT post on our users' behalf anymore. We will keep you posted on any other updates!— TheCounter (@thecounter) November 19, 2016

So, for now, if you’re also using Twitter Counter, it will be good to change the password just to make sure you are on the safe side. So, what you think about this? Share your thoughts on the comment box below.

Hi, I am Nduka Ofoegbu. A tech blogger, however an Editor/Founder of ChidiTech. Just incase you need someone to help you redesign your blog or website or better still optimization. You can contact Me Here. You can connect with me on